Dad & Step-Dad

Presented as part of programmer Vincenzo Nappi’s Enter the Videodrome series, Tynan DeLong’s Dad & Step-Dad will be preceded by Maziyar Khatam’s The Sweater.

DAD & STEP-DAD

Tynan DeLong

2023 / United States / 80 min

Jim and Dave, a dad and a step-dad, have trouble bonding during a 3-day weekend upstate with their son, Branson. Tynan DeLong’s Dad & Step-Dad reimagines the age-old tale of two warriors battling it out in a coliseum in front of all the townspeople to be declared the manliest of champions. That is if the warriors were two middle-aged dads, the coliseum was a cottage, the townspeople were the vast wilderness, and the championship was the adoration of their shared son. Although delivered with a healthy dose of deadpan absurdity, DeLong doesn’t shy away from crafting a touching examination of toxic masculinity and gender roles as the titular dad and step-dad find themselves at odds with each other, their masculinity, and whether propane or charcoal is best to grill up some dogs. The answer may surprise you!
 

THE SWEATER

Maziyar Khatam

2024 / Canada / 8 min

Pressured into giving away his clothes, an emasculated young man obsessively attempts to reclaim his cherished sweater before it vanishes into the donation abyss. Drawing from the staples of Canadian cinema while forging an infectious style uniquely his own, director and star Maziyar Khatam’s The Sweater takes a chaotic and hilarious look at the performance of masculinity and the toxicity that comes hand in hand with trying to be that guy. With a pace akin to a full-on sprint, Maziyar delivers a masterclass in comedic short-form storytelling while asking existential questions like: is it okay to steal from Value Village? (Trailer)